The invention pertains to pumping systems for vehicles of the fire engine or fire fighting type.
Fire fighting vehicles commonly known as "pumpers" include one or more water pumps selectively driven by the vehicle engine, and it is common for such vehicles to include a water supply tank, suction hose fittings, and pressure hose fittings. The pumps may be selectively supplied from the vehicle tank, or from a suction hose attached to a hydrant or in communication with another water source. It has long been known to mount a plurality of pumps on a vehicle in selective driven engagement with the vehicle engine, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,010,158; 2,223,592 and 2,804,826, and a plurality of pumps may be used to increase the pumping capacity of the vehicle, or if the pumps are connected in series a higher pressure can be produced than may be possible with a single pump. In such multiple pump installations a single power take-off or drive system is usually used with both pumps and selective operation of one or both pumps is not available.
While the versatility of a two-pump vehicle mounted pumping system wherein the pumps may be driven individually or simultaneously has been appreciated in the prior art as represented in U.S. Pat. No. 2,112,651 such known arrangements have utilized special transmission members, are complicated and expensive, and require substantial space for installation, and apparatus of the type disclosed in this patent is not compatable with modern fire fighting vehicle construction and design.